Service
Specialty and high-value equipment
Imaging units, laboratory instruments, gun safes, plan files, grand pianos and artwork, rigged and crated to written method statements.
Overview
How this scope works
Some items are not moved, they are rigged. Anything over about 800 pounds, anything calibrated, and anything that cannot be replaced gets a written method statement before a strap goes on it: the route, the equipment, the crew, the protection and the contingency if a door measures smaller than the drawing said.
We hold the gear that this work needs: machinery skates, toe jacks, stair-climbing equipment, gantry and beam clamps for short lifts, and air-ride trailers. Where a specialist is required, for instance a manufacturer's engineer to decommission and recalibrate an instrument, we coordinate with them rather than working around them.
What is included
- Written method statement and route survey before the lift date
- Rigging equipment: skates, toe jacks, stair climbers, gantry and beam clamps
- Custom crating with bracing, foam-in-place and shock indicators where required
- Coordination with manufacturer engineers for decommission and recalibration
- Air-ride transport with climate control where the item requires it
- Certificate of insurance issued to the limits your building and insurer require
How we run it
- 01
Measure everything
Item dimensions, weight, centre of gravity, every door, corner, lift and threshold on the route, and the floor loading at both ends.
- 02
Write the method
A method statement names the crew, the equipment, the sequence and the abort conditions. It goes to your facilities lead and the building before the date.
- 03
Protect and rig
Protection goes down first. The item is crated or wrapped, skated or lifted, and moved at walking pace with a spotter on every corner.
- 04
Set, level and verify
The item is set in place, levelled, and where relevant handed to the manufacturer's engineer for recommissioning and calibration.
Why clients pick it
Nothing improvised on the day
Every lift has a written method and a measured route. Surprises are found at survey, not in a stairwell.
Properly insured
Certificates of insurance are issued with the additional insured wording your landlord and insurer actually ask for.
Calibration respected
Instruments that need decommissioning by an engineer are not unplugged by a mover, and shock indicators travel with items that need them.
Floor loading checked
We confirm that the destination floor can take the point load before the item arrives, not after.
What drives the price
| Factor | What it means |
|---|---|
| Weight and footprint | Items over 1,000 pounds move on skates with toe jacks and need a floor loading check at both ends. |
| Route restrictions | Turns, thresholds, door widths, elevator car size and internal ramps drive the crew size more than the weight does. |
| Crating requirement | Custom crates are quoted by dimension and by the protection specified, including shock and tilt indicators. |
| Third-party engineers | Manufacturer decommission and recalibration is billed by the manufacturer and scheduled around our window. |
Sample planning range: $1,200 to $4,800 for a single rigged item with a written method statement, excluding third-party engineering.
Questions
Specialty and high-value equipment: common questions
Not answered here? The full FAQ has twenty-six more.
Read the full FAQUp to about 1,200 pounds on a standard stair run with a powered stair climber and a four-person crew, subject to a stair and landing survey. Above that we look at elevator access or an external lift, and we will say so before quoting.
We handle the rigging, transport and setting. Decommissioning, recommissioning and calibration are done by the manufacturer's engineers, and we build the schedule around their availability.
Legs and lyre are removed, the case is padded and strapped to a piano board, and it travels on its side on a board with a skid. Tuning after a move is expected and is usually scheduled two weeks after placement.
Certificates are routinely issued with general liability, auto liability, workers compensation and umbrella limits to match building requirements. Tell us the limits and the additional insured wording and we will confirm before the date.
Next step
Book the survey before you book the date
Freight elevator windows in downtown towers are commonly reserved four to six weeks out. The survey is what tells you whether your date is real.